7,000 gallons of water sprung from a pipe behind a wall on the third floor

Share

Shares

Copy Link

{copyShortcut} to copy
Link copied!

Updated: 6:44 PM EDT May 19, 2017

Hide TranscriptShow Transcript

WEBVTT BE IN HOUR-BY-HOURASSESSMENT.INSIDE THE COURTHOUSE TODAY,BAILING OUT HAS A WHOLEDIFFERENT MEANING.AN ESTIMATED 7000 GALLONS OFWATER EARLY FROM A THIRD FLOORPIPE AND DRENCHED THE MIDDLE OFTHE SECOND LEVEL CEILING INTOTHE BASEMENT.HERE IS THE SECTION THAT HANDLESECURITY FOR MUNICIPAL COURT.>> THEY HAVE COME THROUGH HEREMULTIPLE TIMES WITH THEEXTRACTION EQUIPMENT.>> THE INCHES OF WATER ARE GONEAND GETTING TO A POINT TO BEABLE TO DEHUMIDIFIER THE PLACEWILL TAKE MUCH OF THE WEEKEND.OUTSIDE, THE HOSES STARTSSNAKING THROUGH THE HALLWAYS, UPTHE STEPS, AND TO EVERY FLOODEDCREVICE.A BIT OF CORROSION ON ANOTHERWISE GOOD PIPE CAUSED THELEAK.>> NOTHING THAT COULD OF BEENSPOTTED OR CAUGHT.WHEN YOU OPERATEHUNDRED-YEAR-OLD BUILDINGS, ITWILL HAPPEN.REPORTER: THEY TRY TO DETERMINEIF ANYTHING VITAL WAS DAMAGED ORDESTROYED.EVERYTHING ABOVE THE THIRDFLOORS DRY.IT'S UNCLEAR IF PORTIONS OF THEFIRST ND SECOND FLOORS CAN BEREOPENED ON MONDAY.PARTS OF THE PLACE ARE ANABSOLUTE MESS.THEY WILL DECIDE IF THEWATERLOGGED AREAS ARE CLEAN ANDSAFE TO REOPEN.BAGS OF RUINED CARPET CEILING

Cleanup from courthouse water main break spills into weekend

7,000 gallons of water sprung from a pipe behind a wall on the third floor

Court Administrator Patrick Dressing observed the work through the day, telling us, "They have come through here multiple times with the extraction equipment and they continue to still get water out of the carpets."

Twenty-four hours into cleanup, the inches of water were gone. But just getting to a point of being able to dehumidify the place will take much of the weekend, at a minimum.

Outside, the suction hoses started snaking through the hallways, up the steps and into every flooded crevice.

It was a fluke bit of corrosion on an otherwise good pipe that caused the leak.

"Nothing that could've been spotted or caught through maintenance in advance,” noted Jeff Aluotto, the Hamilton County administrator. “It's just one of those things that when you operate a 100-year-old building is occasionally going to happen.”

Court officials are trying to determine if anything vital to the future administration of justice was damaged or destroyed.

Everything above the third floor is dry.

It's unclear if soaked portions of the first and second floors can be safely reopened Monday.

Right now, many parts of the place are an absolute mess. A decision about when to reopen the Courthouse will be made on an hour-by-hour basis over the weekend.